


So Bright, So Clear

by needleyecandy



Series: Illumination [2]
Category: Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Butt Plugs, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Gags, Light Bondage, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Nipple Clamps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 14:45:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6380476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/needleyecandy/pseuds/needleyecandy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One of the best things about a new relationship is the way a private language develops. Sometimes one word that means nothing to anyone else can come to mean everything.</p><p>This is set between the two chapters of <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/6063574">Illumination</a> and it'll make more sense after reading that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	So Bright, So Clear

**Author's Note:**

> As requested, the sequel! Enjoy!

Thor had left work early to come home and cook something a little nicer than they usually had on Wednesdays. It had become a standing date, a bright spot to celebrate being halfway through the work week. They usually got delivery or made something quick and simple, but today was special.

“What do you want for breakfast?” he had asked Loki that past Sunday morning.

“Belle Cosette just started doing brunch,” Loki said. “Let’s go there.”

It had taken them a while to get ready – mostly because _showering with Loki_ was never _just_ showering - and by the time they got downtown, even though they’d taken Loki’s compact, it took forever to find parking.

“The wait’s about an hour,” the hostess told them when they got to the stand.

Loki looked at Thor. “Okay with you?”

“Sure.”

She put them down on the list and took Loki’s number, telling them they’d get a text when their table was ready, and they’d have five minutes to return and claim it.

The bookstore on the corner had a café, so they got small coffees to tide themselves over before they began casually browsing, wandering up and down the aisles and groaning at the bestsellers. It was in the middle of the fiction section that they turned a corner and almost tripped over an employee who was kneeling to shelve books off a cart.

“Hi, are you finding everything okay?” she asked.

“Could you recommend something really funny?” Thor asked.

“Sure,” she said, rising to her feet. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

 _Short stories,_ Thor had been about to say, but Loki answered first. “A novel,” he’d said.

Of course, it had meant nothing to the clerk, but to Thor, the message was perfectly clear. _A novel._ Something too long for Thor to read it all in one sitting. 'A novel' meant _I’m happy when I’m with you._ 'A novel' meant _I know I’ll be back._ So today he had come home early to fix something special.

It had involved a call to his mom, asking for suggestions of recipes that were easy enough for him to make well, but still fancier than his usual fallbacks. She was really nice and helpful and didn't even say _I told you so_ even though he could hear it in her voice. She'd emailed him some scans with the promise that while they looked long, that was mostly the ingredient list.

Loki arrived when the noodles had two minutes left. They just needed to be drained and tossed with butter and parsley and everything would be ready. "Hi, come in," Thor said, holding the door open.

Loki came in and kissed him as the door swung shut. "Hi," he said breathily when they broke apart.

"Have a seat. I need a couple minutes in the kitchen."

When Thor came back out carrying their plates, Loki had poured the wine and lit the candles.

"This is fancy," Loki said. He was smiling until a sudden burst of horror washed over his face. "It's not your birthday, is it?"

Thor laughed. "No, it's not my birthday. I just wanted something nice."

Loki relaxed. "I like it. This looks good."

"It's the first time I've made it, I hope it turned out okay."

It did, as did the dessert. "Cut up some fruit and sprinkle a little sherry on it and let it sit in the fridge a few hours and have it with ice cream," his mother had told him, and though he'd been a little suspicious of something _quite_ so simple, it had turned out to be impressively good.

As usual, Thor got out his notepad when they were done eating, and they talked over ideas for Saturday until they had a plan all worked out. Loki circled the table to stand by Thor and put his signature to it. "I think I'm going to like this," he said as he threw one long leg over Thor's lap and sank down to face him.

*****

It ended up being at Loki's place this time. Loki had spent the previous night at Thor's, and to separate today's scene from last night's sex it was easier to simply go somewhere else. The tote bag jingled as Thor grabbed it from the back seat before following Loki inside. They held hands as they rode up in the elevator and walked down the corridor to Loki's apartment.

"I'll make some tea," Loki said.

"Thanks," said Thor. He sat down on one end of the sofa and set his bag down next to it. An upholstery sample book sat open on the coffee table; the arms of the sofa were getting pretty threadbare, but it was an unusual design and one that looked much more _Loki_ than anything Thor had seen in stores. Thor flipped through the book until Loki came in with two steaming mugs.

"This smells heavenly," Thor said, taking his.

"Jasmine pu-erh. I hope you like it."

Loki sat next to him and he put his free arm around Loki's waist. Even if this wasn't to be sexual, they had happily agreed on keeping it affectionate.

"What do you think of that one?" Loki asked as Thor flipped past a page full of brocades.

"It's beautiful."

"You don't think that shade of blue will make it seem outdated in a few years?"

Thor grinned. "Not really my area of expertise," he said. "I think if you like it you should get it."

"I do like it. There's a couple others I like a lot too, though."

He leaned forwards and turned some pages, pointing out all his favorites before settling back and leaning against Thor's side with a contented sigh.

"Did I tell you I went to Chichen Itza a few years ago?" Thor asked.

Loki shook his head. "Hmm-mmm. Was it nice?"

"I loved it. It was incredible to look at the temple and think about how they made it. They had to have had some brilliant engineers. And my hotel there had jasmine growing up the outside walls, and it smelled just like this tea."

"I'd like to travel more some day."

"Me too."

They talked about past vacations, only noticing the passed time when their cups were empty. Thor gave Loki's waist a gentle squeeze. "Whenever you're ready," he said.

"I'm ready."

"Okay. Go wait for me."

Loki left his mug on the coffee table and went back to his bedroom. Thor waited far longer than he needed to; Loki seemed to enjoy the anticipation just as much as he did himself, so that even being in separate rooms it was a shared indulgence. He took the cups to the kitchen and washed them before getting out a couple cubes of ice and putting them into a ziplock bag.

It was a full ten minutes before Thor picked up his bag and followed. Loki was nude, kneeling on the bedroom floor with his hands behind his back and though his face was forwards, towards the door, he had his eyes cast demurely down. He remained still as Thor entered the room and circled around behind him.

"Let's have this loose today," Thor said as he eased the elastic band carefully from Loki's hair and let it fall over his shoulders. "And I would like your eyes closed until I give you permission to open them."

Though he couldn't see all of Loki's face from this angle, he was able to see the black lashes fall lower, hovering just above the smooth pale cheeks. He stood watching them. They didn't flutter; Loki was staying still and calm.

"I'm going to start now," Thor said. At Loki's nod, he opened the sweating bag and removed two of the ice cubes, shaking off the drips before bringing them to Loki's chest. Loki gasped at the shock of cold against his nipples but said nothing. Thor alternated between drawing little circles and holding them against the tightening tips until they were reddened and firm before putting the ice back and sealing the bag.

Clamps were next. He had brought the tweezer clamps, wanting their easy adjustability. He put the first one in place. "Tell me when," he said, before beginning to tighten it. He slid the ring slowly, watching Loki's face.

"More... more... m- _owtoomuch_ ," Loki said. Thor loosened it quickly and Loki nodded. "That's good, right there."

He was able to tighten the second one a tiny bit more before Loki said it was enough. Neither was really on very tightly at all, he knew from his own experiments, but it would give a satisfying pinch, which was what he wanted.

"Okay. Hands and knees for me," he said.

Loki kept his eyes closed as he lowered himself gracefully and waited in silence for more. Thor reached back into his bag. "This is what I made for you," he said, taking out the next toy. It was a slender glass plug, one which originally had had a pony tail dangling from it but which he had replaced with long narrow ribbons so that the plug became the head of a long gleaming tassel. He covered it in a thick layer of lube. "It's going to be cold at first," he warned.

At Loki's nod of acceptance, he began. He took it far more slowly than he needed to, teasing the rounded tip in and out until Loki's opening was thoroughly relaxed before going any deeper. He pressed it farther in with easy pulses, in and out and in and out, before leaving even half an inch inside. He watched with satisfaction as it at last disappeared inside. Loki had remained silent the whole time, though Thor had noticed a brief flare of tension through his muscles as the widest part pushed through his ring.

"Is that all right?" Thor asked.

Loki nodded. "It's good."

"More?"

"Yes."

"All right." Thor set the clicker next to Loki's hand, nudging it against his thumb. "Here's your clicker. Is this where you'd like it?"

"Yes, please," Loki said.

"Okay, I'll leave it there." He cupped Loki's cheek in his palm and felt a surge of warmth as Loki turned his head to nestle against it.

A thumb, brushed against his lower lip, was all it took to tell Loki to open his mouth. He held it obediently wide as Thor nestled the bit between his teeth. "Close."

Loki closed his mouth around it, giving a wiggle to his jaw to settle it in place more comfortably. "All right?"

One click.

"Good. Hold still for me."

But for the ebb and swell of his ribs, Loki could have been a statue as Thor took hold of some of the ribbons and ran them through the ring at one end of the bit and tied them securely. He repeated it on the other side, fixing things tight enough that neither bit nor plug could be removed while they were tied, forcing Loki's back into a graceful arch and pulling his head back, though he was careful that it not be painful. It was trust and obedience Thor wanted, and Loki gave them so beautifully.

"You're doing so well. I'm so proud of you," Thor said, stroking his hand down Loki's soft black hair. Loki gave a hum of pleasure.

The bells were last. He hung one from the chain between Loki's nipples before resting one on each of his shoulders and settling a fourth in the small of his back.

"Don't let these fall," he said.

He circled Loki, unable to decide which angle was best for admiring him. Inside his clinging jeans, Thor's cock had gotten hard, and now it twitched and throbbed at the sight before him. _Patience. One day,_ he told it silently. He watched Loki's ribs, timing his breaths, satisfying himself that he wasn't panicking or hyperventilating. They remained long and deep, just as Thor wanted.

"You are so lovely like this," Thor told him simply. "I might not know about things like what colors are in style, but I know when I see something beautiful. Would it be all right to take some pictures, to share this with you?"

One click.

"Is your phone locked?" He could have used his own, but using Loki's offered the assurance that it wasn't going to wind up on the internet without his permission.

Two clicks.

He took the phone off its charging station and switched it to camera. He did a series of shots as he again circled Loki, before moving back to stand just inside the doorway.

"Open your eyes. Look at me," he said softly.

Heavy lashes swept open and then Loki was meeting his gaze. His eyes were bright and clear, shining with contentment. Thor felt a surge of love welling up in his chest. He hadn't spoken it yet, wanting to wait for the perfect moment, but now he tried to put it into his own eyes, to let Loki feel what he had not yet heard. It was with reluctance that he finally looked away to take one more picture, this one with Loki looking past the camera, up at Thor.

He stroked Loki's hair again, imagining that same look in his eyes as he took Thor into his mouth, sweet and trusting and utterly surrendered. He would make that same happy sound he was making now, telling Thor _yes, I like this too_ though he couldn't speak.

"I'm so proud of you," Thor said again. "Just a little longer and then we're done."

It wasn't much longer before Loki's muscles began to fatigue from the rigid posture. Thor waited until the trembling began to threaten the bells – five minutes, at the most – before speaking again. "All right, we're going to finish up now," he told Loki gently. "We're all done."

He took off the balancing bells and set them aside before untying the ribbons. Even once they were loosed, Loki didn't relax his position, keeping that lovely dip in his back and his head proudly high. Even after Thor had drawn away the bit and eased free the plug, he remained still until Thor told him to kneel up.

"This is the worst of it," Thor warned.

Loki nodded. "I remember," he said. His voice was dreamy, though he hissed at the rush of pain when Thor loosened the clamps, going tense.

Thor took his hand and drew him to his feet. "Bed," he ordered.

Loki got in, settling the sheets low across his belly where they wouldn't accidentally brush against his swollen, sore nipples.

"You're sure you don't mind that too much?" Thor asked. "It's okay to say you do."

"I actually kind of like it. I don't know why, but I think I do. And they're so sensitive later, even after they stop hurting," Loki said.

"And everything else?" Thor asked. He opened the juice and poured Loki a glass while he thought.

"It got hard at the end, but it was a good kind. I'm happy I didn't let the bells fall, even once my arms started shaking. It makes me happy that I could do that for you."

"You did so well. I'm so proud of you," Thor told him. At times he felt like a broken record, but it was the truth, and Loki deserved to know. "I think you'll like the pictures."

He'd show him later. For now, there was juice to be drunk, cuddles to be shared, and a big fat novel waiting for them on the nightstand.


End file.
